While highly publicized due to the SOPA/PIPA controversy, and for setting a law enforcement precedent, the shutting down of Megaupload will stop only a small fraction of illegal downloads. In fact, illegal file sharing has become an almost necessary part of the online ecosystem. The service BigChampagne, for example, tracks file sharing data which it then sells to entertainment companies, who in turn use the data to build advertising campaigns. Some firms pay as much as $40,000 per month for the tracking service.

What's the Big Idea?

Even if piracy must be stopped, the US is not the worst violator of copyrights nor will its strategy of legal redress solve the matter. In China, 78 percent of software is pirated, compared to 20 percent in the US. And comparing the bandwidth consumption of the US and Europe shows that America's Netflix, representing the legal alternative to piracy, accounts for almost exactly the same amount of bandwidth consumed by bittorrent users in Europe. The best way to contain piracy is by creating legitimate commercial alternatives.

Antimicrobial resistance is growing worldwide, rendering many "work horse" medicines ineffective. Without intervention, drug-resistant pathogens could lead to millions of deaths by 2050. Thankfully, companies like Pfizer are taking action.

Antimicrobial-resistant pathogens are one of the largest threats to global health today.

As we get older, our immune systems age, increasing our risk of life threatening infections. Without reliable antibiotics, life expectancy could decline for the first time in modern history.

If antibiotics become ineffective, common infections could result in hospitalization or even death. Life-saving interventions like cancer treatments and organ transplantation would become more difficult, more often resulting in death. Routine procedures would become hard to perform.

Without intervention, resistant pathogens could result in 10 million annual deaths by 2050.

By taking a multi-faceted approach—inclusive of adherence to good stewardship, surveillance and responsible manufacturing practices, as well as an emphasis on prevention and treatment—companies like Pfizer are fighting to help curb the spread.